How to Cure Prosciutto
Prosciutto, the pungent antipasto ham of Italy, is like regional wines. The specifics of preparation vary, dependent on the agricultural practices, customs and climate of the locality. Each prosciutto has a storied lineage but the basic curing process is similar to the dry aging process used in American "country-style" hams. The main difference between Italian and American versions is the way each is served; prosciutto is sliced wafer-thin and served with fruit and savories; "country ham" is served as an entree. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Leg of pork
- 10 to 12 pounds of cooking (pickling or Kosher) salt
- Cracked pepper
- Coriander
- White vinegar or white wine vinegar
- Wooden box or wine case large enough to hold the meat
- Wooden board
- Muslin
Instructions
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1
Bone the leg or have your butcher "tunnel-bone" it, a process that removes the bone without cutting the meat of the leg. To bone yourself, slice into the "short" side (the back---where the meat is thick), then scrape around the bone with a boning knife or very sharp small knife, exposing the entire bone along the leg until you can lift it out.
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Rub a handful of salt into the inside of the leg or through the tunnel. If you have boned the leg yourself, use butcher's string to close up the leg; poke holes with a kabob skewer along the cut on either side and close up the leg with a blanket stitch (one side of a shoe lace), using a darning needle or small turkey pin.
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3
Put an inch-deep bed of salt in the wooden box and sprinkle it with pepper and coriander. Lay the leg in the box, outside (meatiest) down and cover the leg with salt until the salt is at least an inch deep all over the leg.
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Place a piece of wood flat on top of the salted leg. The wood should fit tightly inside the walls of the box (to cover all of the leg). Weigh it down with a stone or other weight that weighs about twice as much as the meat.
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Store the box in a cool, dry place like a cellar for a day and a half to two per pound (a 10-pound leg would take 15 to 20 days to cure). At the end of the curing period, wash the ham with vinegar, wrap in two layers of muslin and hang in a cool, well-ventilated place to dry for four to six months.
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Tips & Warnings
Prosciutto is often held near freezing for a day before dressing and salting to kill bacteria before curing.
Trim fat before curing; fat lengthens the time needed for salting and increases the weight loss during curing.
Protect meat from varmints ranging from the family dog to squirrels and chipmunks while it cures and dries. Surround the salt box and area where it dries with chicken wire cages.
The difference in prosciutto depends on variables like length of cure time (longer makes saltier ham) and dry time (shorter times make softer, longer times make firmer hams).
Fine Italian prosciutto is traditionally prepared without nitrates or nitrites (chemicals used to preserve pork). Prosciutto prepared for export today must be prepared in facilities approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and often contain nitrates or nitrites.
Mold often grows between the cloth wrapping and the surface of the ham while drying. Washing the ham with vinegar, a mild acid, will remove it.
Keep meat in cool environments---below 40 degrees F. Meat that is frozen will not cure properly and meat that is kept too warm will spoil.
The process is not fool-proof; if a ham goes bad due to an environment that's too warm or lack of ventilation in the drying process, it will turn black and smell bad.
